The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Is This the Real Shen Lu?

Shen Lu yawned and lay down on the sofa.

Even though Fu Cheng was unconscious and completely still, Shen Lu wasn’t used to sharing a bed with a man.

The bed in the rented room was too narrow. It was fine for one person, but two would have to be squeezed together.

The night was quiet, and the room was silent.

Fu Cheng focused on the sound of Shen Lu’s rhythmic breathing, and a trace of warmth spread through his heart.

When Shen Lu had suddenly returned that afternoon and dragged him out, he had thought she was going to throw him out.

But she had only taken him with her to set up her stall, and had even bought clean gauze to re-dress his wounds.

’So, is this the real Shen Lu?’

Fu Cheng couldn’t help but think of the Shen Lu from before. Although they were betrothed, they had spent very little time together.

The betrothal was merely a verbal agreement between their parents. The original plan had been to hold an engagement party after he returned from the front lines, making their relationship public.

He hadn’t had many requirements for a wife, and had naively believed his aunt and uncle were acting in his best interest. Even though he’d felt no affection or love for Shen Lu back then, he hadn’t objected.

It was just that, based on their few brief encounters, Shen Lu was a rather delicate girl with a bit of a temper. There was nothing seriously wrong with her character, though.

She was a completely different person from the Shen Lu of today.

’Is this the kind of growth that comes from suffering?’

Fu Cheng suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her.

CLICK. CLICK.

Fu Cheng was preparing to enter a semi-dormant state when the lock suddenly made a noise.

Someone was talking outside.

"I already asked around. There are only two of them. One’s a useless cripple who’s missing limbs, and the other is that little girl. Once we get this door open, heh heh..."

"Damn it, why is this lock so hard to pick? Li Si, what are you standing there grinning foolishly for? Get over here and help!"

"Coming, coming!"

"Next time, I’m gonna have a word with that Golden Woman. Why the hell would she make the door so damn sturdy for no reason?"

...

’Hoodlums trying to pick the lock.’

Fu Cheng’s lips tightened into a thin line, his gaze falling on Shen Lu’s lovely face.

’What should I do?’

’Shen Lu is an ordinary person who hasn’t awakened a superpower. I can’t use my own superpower. Faced with this imminent danger, what can she possibly do?’

Shen Lu was a heavy sleeper; small noises usually wouldn’t wake her.

But the men outside were making far too much noise.

The young woman’s eyes flew open. She sat there stunned on the sofa for a second, then turned her head to the door being frantically shaken and swore, "Fuck."

’It must be those people who were secretly watching me on the way back from buying gauze today.’

Shen Lu rose to her feet, tiptoeing. She frowned in thought for a moment, and then her brow smoothed out. A sly grin spread across her face.

The lock was about to give way. Shen Lu heard the whir of a power cutter start up outside. It seemed they had given up on a technical approach like lockpicking and had switched to a simpler, more brutish method.

’They’re really determined to get in, aren’t they?’

Shen Lu pulled out a 100,000-volt stun baton, pressed it gently against the metal door lock, and cranked the power straight to the maximum setting.

A bluish-purple light sparked at the baton’s tip. Like a net of electricity, it instantly spread across the steel door, possessing a strange beauty in the darkness.

The clamor from outside the door fell silent in an instant. The only sound was the incessant buzzing of the power cutter, which had been dropped on the ground.

Fu Cheng: !

’Wh-What?!’

’Did Shen Lu awaken a superpower?’

’No, this isn’t a superpower. It’s more like... a weapon.’

Sudden realization dawned on Fu Cheng.

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